Wednesday, September 19, 2012

I know I said I wouldn't post again but this one is kind of unique and has been coming for a while and I'm hoping it soothes my tired soul a little.

I read a lot of blogs of women who just had babies and I keep reading about how lovely, sweet and angelic their little bundles are. How well they sleep and how every moment is savored and I'm thrilled for them and glad they're sharing that things are going well.

But I figure there are some out there who are having a hard time, like me.

Now with Catie I was one of those women, talking about how nearly perfect my baby was but Eden is proving to be difficult and I'm frustrated.

I wanted you to know that if you are barely making it through every day then you're not alone. If you just wish for a long, lovely shower without coming back to a screaming child, I'm right there with you. Make-up and grown up clothes are reserved for Sunday, the rest of the week it's dirty clothes (forget about doing laundry) and pony tails. Do you have a good day, maybe two and start to think things are turning around only to have it be followed by some really terrible ones? Me too.

Has your toddler recently watched an obscene amount of movies? I'm just grateful mine is still entertained by them at all.

Dinner is getting more and more simple as the grocery shopping gets put off longer and longer and a nap sounds heavenly, but what's the point in laying down, you know that baby will either wake or you'll spend the entire time thinking you hear her waking.

Lunch? What's lunch? You have a toddler and a baby to feed, the time to feed yourself will come eventually, really.

Outings that used to be simple are now so difficult you skip them altogether and the sound of your crying child no longer evokes a sympathetic response, just a pounding headache.

I know that one day this will all be a memory. She'll grow up and learn to sleep, be on a schedule and we'll get to play but it's okay to be frustrated now. It's okay to cry and to just do the essentials to get by. Try to convince yourself that you're doing a great job, try not to take the crying personally and enjoy those moments of quiet whenever you find them. Use them for you, a messy kitchen can wait and a clean kitchen probably won't make you feel better.

And let those gummy smiles heal your heart, to remind you why this awful stage is worth it. Savor bed time songs and cuddles with your Toddler, and when she tells you she loves you make sure you stop and really mean it when you respond.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

This week is brought to you by my husband's tablet, meaning it'll be a quick one. We`re moving really soon and the computer has been moved over already.

Grandma buys the best dresses, she just grew into this one and I love it.

Sleeping Eden.

We went on a walk the other day, here she is at the beginning

And at the end. It accidentally turned into a really long walk and she was too tired to make it home. I knew I couldn't carry her and push Eden so I squished the baby over t make room for both. It worked beautifully and we made it home.

What Eden wore on our walk. She still looks like this much of the day.

A trip to Dairy Queen, you'd think she`d appreciate her ice cream a little more

this post was a pain to put together so its probably the last you get until I move.

Friday, September 14, 2012

I love when Catie is interested in her sister. Here she is checking out how little and cute Baby Eden is.

Funny faces, wearing a super cute animal sleeper.

All dressed up for church, I'm pretty sure with this outfit I permanently damaged her brain. Apparently the headband was a little tight and she still had a dent an hour after I took it off. Had she complained I would have removed it but she seemed just fine. Oops.

I loved her squashy cheeks and I had a spot of drool on my shoulder when I finally moved her. These are the moments that remind us why babies are worth it :)

I gave her a bath and her hair naturally got that awesome bump in the back, I'm slightly concerned for what it means for her hair later on.

Again, checking out her sister. Catie likes when she can see Eden's eyes and she laughs every time she sneezes.

This week we reached Catie's third birthday. I tried to make it a special but low key day and I think I was successful. We started the day with corn pops for breakfast and a movie.

Then cousin Bryn came over to play and they had a tea party on Catie's brand new table and chairs.

They hate hot dogs, chips and juice for lunch and then we sang and had cupcakes. Dinner was pancakes and more cupcakes and candles.

I can't get over what a delight this lady is. I was really nervous how she'd react to a second baby and she could not have handled it any better. Every day I'm frustrated with Eden and so grateful for my helpful Catie. She loves her sister and is so gentle with her (though she doesn't like her stinky diapers). She tells me multiple times a day that she loves me and is so patient with me. I love watching her learn new things (like her first gymnastics class) and she's so excited to see and play with her Daddy every day. She entertains herself when I need her too and she still takes a 1 1/2 hour nap a day. She loves treats just like her Mommy and is ridiculous with the list of foods she won't eat. Every day she says something new that makes me laugh and I can't wait to see how she grows up this year.

Lastly, she's still obsessed with the sparkly white sweater of Eden's in a size 18 months. It's not supposed to be 3/4 sleeve but she just loves it and wears it often.

Friday, September 7, 2012

We made a trip out to the Calgary Corn Maze and had so much more fun that we thought we would. They had a fun playground, a petting zoo, pony rides, the corn maze of course, a couple big slides and some bouncy pillows. There was live music, a corn eating competition and some fun bikes to ride. We could have spent all day there though we did have a hard time convincing Catie to leave one area to go to the next. The only thing that would have made it better was some corn but I went to buy some and it was $3 a cob. I couldn't bare to pay that much so we skipped it.

This giant slide was a huge hit, even if it did make her filthy.

She went down this slide over and over and Daddy even joined in on the fun (though he regretted it after).

They also had this spider web net that she liked to climb on. She spent more time on it than we expected.

The bouncy pillows were hands down her favourite part though. They were just what they sound like, very large pillows full of air but they were large enough that even adults could play. It hasn't been long enough since I had a baby so I had to watch from the sidelines but Catie and Daddy had a great time. It was so much fun we went back again at the end.

Her legs weren't quite long enough to reach the pedal so Daddy was nice enough to push her.

We went to the grocery store and our list was short so I let Catie grab and push the cart, she loved it. The cookie helped too.

Yet another trip to Calaway Park.

This last trip we discovered that Catie is tall enough for the drop of doom so her and I climbed on. I was really nervous that she would be scared (and then I realized I was a little scared so I tried to make her hold my hand but she refused). I had nothing to worry about, she laughed and screamed and giggled and insisted that we went on three more times. This photo is us getting ready for the first time.

She got some new hand me down clothes from her cousin and I love this little dress. It's a little short so I added tights underneath later but she looks adorable in it.